Of course in the case of heroin addiction it's easy to poke fun at the notion of time-discounted utility functions, but you can't really shrug off the idea, sin

Of course in the case of heroin addiction it's easy to poke fun at the notion of time-discounted utility functions, but you can't really shrug off the idea, since it's vital to explaining why people do all sorts of immediately neutral or unpleasant things like brushing their teeth, saving money, or exercising.